What inspires you to write poetry?

I love to say poetry saved my life. The beauty of poetry itself inspires me to write. Poetry allows me to document experiences that might have otherwise gone untold. It allows me to express uncomfortable conversations boldly, and the mere fact that such a channel to express oneself fully exists has been my biggest inspiration. Society inspires me too, most of the poetry I write I'd a result of the different conversations I have had with different people.

How does it make you feel to be part of a published anthology?

Oh; I am super excited. I feel really lucky that I have finally become part of this writing community of amazing Zimbabwean female writers. That was not something I had imagined happening to me this year or anytime soon. I am grateful for the opportunity to grow as a poet and I really cannot wait to have everyone read our amazing content.

Do you face any challenges as a Zimbabwean woman poet?

I would not say the challenges I have faced are only confined to female poets. But yes, as a poet who is more inclined to written poetry and not to spoken word poetry, getting people to actually read my poetry has been a struggle. This is usually because of the poor reading culture in Zimbabwe I guess. 

The other challenge I have faced as a female poet is when exploring bold but not often comfortable themes in our Zimbabwean culture, like sex or parent-children relationships. There are certain boundaries you are just not allowed to cross, or you might be given nasty labels, yet I believe this limits our creativity and exploring the difficult topics. Being a poet should allow one to be comfortable with the often uncomfortable, yet our environment is not yet conducive to that.

Briefly describe your writing journey, from how you started to where you are today.

I started writing stories before poetry, when I was 8 or 9. Writing was and has always been an escape from some of my lived realities. I remember that as a child, when my cousins and I played house, I wrote our house plays. 

Then I discovered poetry by accident. I remember waiting for an exam and feeling quite anxious, and I decided to write a poem, and from then I've never looked back. I was sixteen years old at the time. I have grown so much as a poet since then. At first I just wrote stuff in my diary and never really read it or shared it with people. Then I started sharing with a few of my friends and my sister and they encouraged me to keep writing. That is when I started sharing my poetry on my social media pages and I got some positive comments that motivated me to keep writing. I also discovered amazing poets along the way, and their work inspires me; and here we are - 6 of my poems are part of this beautiful anthology and my first collection is coming out soon. 

How do you want your work to be remembered?

Relatable. I want people to read my poetry and find themselves in the words I write. I want my readers to always remember that they are never alone in the things they feel, the thoughts that stay with them in the dark, the injustices they experience. But mostly, I want my poetry to be a beacon of light, to make sense, to heal. 

Would you like to share anything about yourself to help your readers connect with you?

I am just a girl with big dreams, really big dreams. For a long time I didn't think I had a voice or deserved an audience for my thoughts or the stuff I wrote. I was wrong, we all have voices and we all have platforms to be heard, find yours and scream. 

Who is your favourite poet and why?

I have honestly stopped picking favourites because I am always discovering new poets and always think they're the best I've ever read or heard. How do I even pick between art? I do think Kuda Rice is worth mentioning though, I've slept to his poetry most nights, it's uplifting. I absolutely love Ocean Vuong as well, his work speaks to my soul. 

What are your future writing aspirations?

Publish as many books as I can. There are many stories in my head and many voices in my head fighting for release. I want to go into the movie business, script writing and directing and producing films to be specific. 

What is your biggest dream?

Where do I start - I've so many dreams and they're all equally big. My biggest dream is to be able to make an impact on how children's rights are protected and fulfilled. Also, to have so much money that I can travel and read and write books from all over the world and make my siblings' lives as comfortable as possible.